| 10 Songs in Tanach | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1st Song | Mizmor Shir l'Yom Ha-Shabbos-A Psalm for the Sabbath Day: this is the Song that Adam sang after the Creation was completed. | Psalm 92 |
| 2nd Song | Shirat Ha-Yam -The Song of the Sea: this Song is sung by the Hebrews following the drowning of the Egyptian army in the "Sea of Reeds" and the saving of the Hebrews from returning to slavery in Egypt. | Exodus 14:30-15:19 |
| 3rd Song | Shiras Ha-Be'er-Song of the Well: This Song was sung as a result of the miracle that G-d created to save the Hebrews from being ambushed by the Amorites, in what is now Jordan on their way to Canaan after 40 years of wandering in the Sinai Desert. Because those who carried the Ark of the Covenant preceded the Hebrews, it caused the mountains to sink and the valley to rise, crushing the Amorites in their hideouts in the caves. The Hebrews would not have noticed this if the Well of water which accompanied them did not throw up pieces of the corpses. Thus this miracle created by G-d with the Well resulted in the Hebrews bursting forth in the "Song of the Well" in commemoration of this miraculous event. | Bamidbar (Numbers 21:16-18) |
| 4th Song | "Ha'azinu" ("to hear", "to listen" in Hebrew): the Hebrew/Jewish people must actively listen to the message that is being said to them by Moses so that they will be able to pass this message down to future generations. "Ha'azinu" was sung to the Hebrews by Moses prior to his death and at the conclusion of the Hebrews' 40-year wanderings in the Sinai Desert. This Song was sung by Moses to help assure the spiritual future of the Hebrews and included words of warning, of instruction, and of hope, and reaffirms G-d's care and love of the Hebrews to the Hebrews in all circumstances. "Ha'azinu" reflects the vicissitudes of the present and future destiny of Israel, the ups and downs, the rises and the declines. It is not a testimony to the past, but rather a warning for the present and the future. It was sung to a people who were mostly already born into physical freedom, so there was no need for the Hebrews to suddenly rejoice in song as at the "Sea of Reeds" or the "Red Sea", but rather, to listen and hear Moses in a restrained and dour manner. In contrast, the "Shiras Ha-Yam" or "Song of the Sea", sung a little over 40 years earlier by Moses and his sister Miriam at the "Sea of Reeds" or the "Red Sea", was sung as an instantaneous outburst of joy at the realization of the Hebrews' physical freedom after the miraculous event at the "Sea of Reeds" or the "Red Sea". | Deuteronomy 32:1 - 32:52 |
| 5th Song | "Shirat Ha-Givon" - "Givon" is a place in the valley of Ayalon near Jerusalem. Joshua was the leader commissioned to lead the conquest of Canaan, and he exhorted the "sun [to] stand still upon Gibeon/And you, the moon, in the valley of Ayalon" in order to enable him to wage war and to defeat Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem and his allies and enable the Hebrews to enter Canaan and set up the divisions of land for each Hebrew tribe as well as establishing a sanctuary at Shiloh, which served as a holy city and stood for 200 years until the First Temple was built by King Solomon. | Referenced in: Joshua 10:12-15 |
| 6th Song | Song of Devorah. This Song was sung by the Prophetess Deborah after the Hebrew armies defeated the armies of Canaan, led by their general, Sisera. Devorah also sings about Yael, the wife of Heber the Keni, who used a spike and a hammer to drive the spike through the head of Sisera while he slept. | Judges 4:4-5:31 |
| 7th Song | Song of Hannah. Hannah was the mother of the Prophet Samuel. The Song of Hannah calls attention to the "humiliation" and "misery" of a barren woman, namely Hannah herself (1 Samuel 1:11), who confides her pain to G-d. After her prayers are completed, she is then blessed with a child, Samuel. Essentially, the Song of Hannah is the story of a woman who was barren for a long time and then was blessed with a child. This is but one of many examples of the power of prayer in the Hebrew Bible. | I Samuel 2:1-10 |
| 8th Song | Shirat David. In this Song, which has the distinction of being the only Song of the 10 Songs or 10 Shirot to be mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible, King David recounts the desperate state of his very survival and existence during parts of his long and varied career, and he sings a Song of praise to G-d and dedicates the Song to G-d after the G-d had saved him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hands of Saul, the King of Israel prior to David. | 2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18 (minor differences ) |
| 9th Song | Song of Songs or Song of Solomon ("Shir Ha-Shirim" in Hebrew). The Song of Songs is traditionally seen to be an allegory for the relationship between G-d and Israel by utilizing the example of the love between a man and a woman. | Song of Songs is one of the five "megillot". |
| 10th Song | Song of Mashiach or Song of the Messiah: this Song has yet to be sung. It will be sung during the times of Mashiach or the Messiah, after Mashiach appears on Earth. | Isaiah 9:2-7, 26:1 |
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כל השירות כולן נכתבות אריח על גבי לבינה, ולבינה על גבי אריח, חוץ משירה זו ומלכי כנען שאריח על גבי אריח ולבינה על גבי לבינה מ"ט שלא תהא תקומה למפלתן
All the songs [in Scripture] are written in the form of a half brick over a whole brick, and then a whole brick over a half brick, with the exception of this one (names of Haman's sons) and the list of the kings of Canaan which are written in the form of a half brick over a half brick and a whole brick over a whole brick. What is the reason? So that they should never rise again from their downfall.
(ד) ד. ולפי שראיתי שיבוש גדול בכל הספרים שראיתי בדברים אלו. וכן בעלי המסורת שכותבין ומחברין להודיע הפתוחות והסתומות, נחלקים בדברים אלו במחלוקת הספרים שסומכין עליהם, ראיתי לכתוב הנה כל פרשיות התורה הסתומות והפתוחות וצורת השירות כדי לתקן עליהם כל הספרים ולהגיה מהם. וספר שסמכנו עליו בדברים אלו הוא הספר הידוע במצרים שהוא כולל ארבעה ועשרים ספרים שהיה בירושלים מכמה שנים להגיה ממנו הספרים. ועליו היו הכל סומכין לפי שהגיהו בן אשר ודקדק בו שנים הרבה, והגיהו פעמים רבות כמו שהעתיקו, ועליו סמכתי בספר התורה שכתבתי כהלכתו:
...צורת שירת האזינו כל שיטה ושיטה יש באמצע ריוח אחד כצורת הפרשה הסתומה ונמצא כל שיטה חלוקה לשתים וכותבין אותה בשבעים שיטות. ואלו הן התיבות שבראש כל שיטה ושיטה:...
...שירת הים כותבין אותה בשלשים שיטות שיטה ראשונה כדרכה ושאר השיטות אחת מניחין באמצעה ריוח אחד ואחת מניחין הריוח בשני מקומות באמצעה עד שתמצא השיטה חלוקה לשלש ונמצא ריוח כנגד הכתב וכתב כנגד הריוח:
Halacha 4: Since I have seen great confusion about these matters in all the scrolls I have seen, and similarly, the masters of the tradition who have written down and composed [texts] to make it known [which passages] are p'tuchot and which ares'tumot are divided with regard to the scrolls on which to rely, I saw fit to write down the entire list of all the passages in the Torah that are s'tumot andp'tuchot, and also the form of the songs. In this manner, all the scrolls can be corrected and checked against these [principles]. The scroll on which I relied on for [clarification of] these matters was a scroll renowned in Egypt, which includes all the 24 books [of the Bible]. It was kept inJerusalem for many years so that scrolls could be checked from it. Everyone relies upon it because it was corrected by ben Asher, who spent many years writing it precisely, and [afterward] checked it many times. I relied [on this scroll] when I wrote a Torah scroll according to law....This is the form for the song Ha'azinu. Each line should have an empty space in the middle as appropriate for a passage that is s'tumah [i.e., a space that can contain nine letters]. Thus, each line will be divided into two. It should be written on 70 lines. These are the words that should appear at the beginning of each line:...
...The song recited [after the crossing of the Red] Sea should be written in thirty lines. The first line should be written in the usual fashion. Afterward, the remaining lines should be written in the following manner: In one, a space [large enough to contain nine letters] should be left in the middle, and on the following line a space [of this size] should be left in two places, so that the line will be divided in three portions. Thus, [in every line,] there will be a space below writing and writing below a space.
The Aleppo Codex (which includes vowels and cantelations) is a full manuscript of the entire Bible, which was written in about 930. It was proofread by Aaron ben Asher (referenced by the Rambam) as a definitive text. For more than a thousand years, the manuscript was preserved in its entirety in important Jewish communities in the Near East: Tiberias, Jerusalem, Egypt, and in the city of Aleppo in Syria. However, in 1947, after the United Nations Resolution establishing the State of Israel, it was damaged in riots that broke out in Syria. At first people thought that it had been completely destroyed. Later, however, it turned out that most of the manuscript had been saved and kept in a secret hiding place. In 1958, the Aleppo Codex was smuggled out of Syria to Jerusalem and delivered to the President of the State of Israel, Izhak Ben-Zvi. (paraphrased from AleppoCodex.org)
Compare First Lines of the 10 Shirim in Tanach: compare tenses, and similarity in phrasing
אאָז יָשִׁיר משֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַה' וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר אָשִׁירָה לַּה' כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם:
Shirat Hayam - Shmot 15:1
1Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and they spoke, saying, I will sing to the Lord, for very exalted is He; a horse and its rider He cast into the sea.
יזאָז יָשִׁיר יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת עֲלִי בְאֵר עֱנוּ לָהּ:
Shirat HaBe'er, Bamidbar 21:17
17Then Israel sang this song: "'Ascend, O well,' sing to it!
לוַיְדַבֵּר משֶׁה בְּאָזְנֵי כָּל קְהַל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת עַד תֻּמָּם:
Shirat Ha'azinu - Bamidbar 32:1
30Then, Moses spoke into the ears of the entire assembly of Israel the words of the following song, until their completion.
יבאָז יְדַבֵּר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לַה' בְּיּוֹם תֵּת ה' אֶת הָאֱמֹרִי לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר | לְעֵינֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁמֶשׁ בְּגִבְעוֹן דּוֹם וְיָרֵחַ בְּעֵמֶק אַיָּלוֹן:
Shirat HaGivon Joshua 10:12
12Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still upon Gibeon, and Moon in the valley of Ajalon."
אוַתָּשַׁר דְּבוֹרָה וּבָרָק בֶּן אֲבִינֹעַם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר:
Shirat D'vora - Shoftim 5:1
1Now Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying.
אוַתִּתְפַּלֵּל חַנָּה וַתֹּאמַר עָלַץ לִבִּי בַּהֹ' רָמָה קַרְנִי בַּהֹ' רָחַב פִּי עַל אוֹיְבַי כִּי שָׂמַחְתִּי בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ:
Shirat Hannah - Shmuel Alef 2:1
| 1And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart has rejoiced through the Lord; My horn has been raised by the Lord. My mouth is opened wide against my enemies, For I have rejoiced in Your salvation. |
אוַיְדַבֵּר דָּוִד לַהֹ' אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת בְּיוֹם הִצִּיל הֹ' אֹתוֹ מִכַּף כָּל אֹיְבָיו וּמִכַּף שָׁאוּל:
Shirat David Shmuel Bet 22:2
| 1And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; |
שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים אֲשֶׁר לִשְׁלֹמֹה:
| 1The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's. |
אבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יוּשַׁר הַשִּׁיר הַזֶּה בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה עִיר עָז לָנוּ יְשׁוּעָה יָשִׁית חוֹמוֹת וָחֵל:
|
Isaiah 26:1 1On that day, this song shall be sung in the land of Judah: "The city that was our strength-salvation shall He place [for] walls and a bulwark. |
(ד) דבר אחר: אז ישיר משה, הדא הוא דכתיב (משלי לא, כו): פיה פתחה בחכמה ותורת חסד על לשונה. מיום שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא את העולם ועד שעמדו ישראל על הים, לא מצינו אדם שאמר שירה לקדוש ברוך הוא, אלא ישראל. ברא אדם הראשון ולא אמר שירה. הציל אברהם מכבשן האש, ומן המלכים ולא אמר שירה. וכן יצחק מן המאכלת, ולא אמר שירה. וכן יעקב מן המלאך, ומן עשו, ומן אנשי שכם, ולא אמר שירה. כיון שבאו ישראל לים, ונקרע להם, מיד אמרו שירה לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא, שנאמר: אז ישיר משה ובני ישראל.
4: Another explanation: "Then Moshe sang", like that which is written in Mishlei (31:26) "Her mouth is open with wisdom and the teachings of kindness on her tongue." Form the day that God created the world unti Israel stood at the sea, we do not find a man who uttered song to God, other than Israel. The first man, Adam, was created and did not sing a song, Avraham was saved from the fiery furnace and the kings and didn't sing a song. And so too Yitzchak was saved from the knife and didn't sing a song. And Yaakov from the king and from Eisav, from the people of Shechem and didn't sing a song. When Israel came to the sea and it was parted for them, immediately they sang to God, as it says: Then sang Moses and the children of Israel.
ת"ר בו ביום דרש רבי עקיבא בשעה שעלו ישראל מן הים נתנו עיניהם לומר שירה וכיצד אמרו שירה כגדול המקרא את הלל והן עונין אחריו ראשי פרקים משה אמר (שמות טו, א) אשירה לה' והן אומרים אשירה לה' משה אמר כי גאה גאה והן אומרים אשירה לה' רבי אליעזר בנו של רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר כקטן המקרא את הלל והן עונין אחריו כל מה שהוא אומר משה אמר אשירה לה' והן אומרים אשירה לה' משה אמר כי גאה גאה והן אומרים כי גאה גאה רבי נחמיה אומר כסופר הפורס על שמע בבית הכנסת שהוא פותח תחילה והן עונין אחריו במאי קמיפלגי רבי עקיבא סבר לאמר אמילתא קמייתא ורבי אליעזר בנו של ר"י הגלילי סבר לאמר אכל מילתא ומילתא
Our Rabbis taught: On that day R. Akiba expounded: At the time the Israelites ascended from the Red Sea, they desired to utter a Song; and how did they render the song? Like an adult who reads the Hallel [for a congregation]13 and they respond after him with the leading word.14 [According to this explanation] Moses said: 'I will sing unto the Lord' and they responded, 'I will sing unto the Lord'; Moses said: 'For He hath triumphed gloriously' and they responded, 'I will sing unto the Lord'. R. Eliezer son of R. Jose the Galilean declares, Like a minor who reads the Hallel [for a congregation], and they repeat after him all that he Says.15 [According to this explanation] Moses said: 'I will sing unto the Lord' and they responded, 'I will sing unto the Lord'; Moses said: 'For He hath triumphed gloriously' and they responded, 'For He hath triumphed gloriously'.
(א) אָ֣ז יָשִֽׁיר־מֹשֶׁה֩ וּבְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ לַֽה' וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֵאמֹ֑ר אָשִׁ֤ירָה לַֽה֙' כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃
(1) Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.
ויאמרו לאמר. כל א' וא' ככה. או בכל דור ודור.
"And they said, saying." Each person said this, or in each generation.
בו ביום דרש רבי עקיבא (שמות טו), אז ישיר משה ובני ישראל את השירה הזאת לה' ויאמרו לאמר, שאין תלמוד לומר לאמר, ומה תלמוד לומר לאמר, מלמד שהיו ישראל עונין אחריו של משה על כל דבר ודבר, כקורין את ההלל, לכך נאמר לאמר.רבי נחמיה אומר, כקורין את שמע ולא כקורין את ההלל.
On that day, Rabbi Akiva expounded: (Exodus 15:1) "Then Moshe and the Children of Israel sang this song to God, and they spoke, saying..." It was not necessary to state, 'saying,' so what is meant by 'saying?' It means the Israel was answering each phrase after Moshe, as in the reading of Hallel, thus it says 'saying.' Rabbi Nechemiah says, like the reading of Shema, and not like the reading of Hallel.
אז ישיר משה ובני ישראל את השירה הזאת לה'. מה שלא שר תיכף בצאתם ממצרים, לפי שידע משה שעדיין בני ישראל מפקפקין באמונה עד שראה על הים שהאמינו בה' ובמשה עבדו - אז ישיר...ומה שנאמר השירה הזאת בלשון נקיבה ארז"ל (שמו"ר כגיא) שכל שירות העה"ז נאמרו בלשון נקיבה לפי שיש אחריהן צער כנקיבות שיש להם צער לידה.
Why did they not sing immediately after they left Egypt? Because Moshe knew that the Bnei Yisrael were hesitant in their faith - until he saw at the sea that they believed in God and his servant Moshe. Then he sang...And why is a song described as feminine? Our sages taught that all songs of this world are linguistically feminine, becuase there will be after them distress, just like women who have distress in chaldbirth;
ישיר יו''ד שיר שיו''ד שירות הם. ים. באר. האזינו. יהושע. דבורה. חנה. רוד. שלמה. חזקיה. ושירה לעתיד:
The spelling is "Yod" then "Shir" - meaning there are 10 songs: Sea, Well, Haazinu, Joshua, Devorah, Hannah, Rod, Shlomoh, Hizkiyahu, and the song to come.
אז ישיר. לא היה צריך לומר אז אלא וישר משה וגו' והדבר מובן כי אז שוררו. אכן יכוין הכתוב להודיענו הכנת המושג. כי כשנכנסה בלבם יראת הרוממות והאמונה השלימה אז זכו לומר שירה ברוח הקודש...
The word "Then"...for wehn the awe of heaven and full belief entered their hearts, THEN they merited to sing this song with divine inspiration.